Eldridge encourages his readers to embrace the things that awaken the heart: both the good and bad. These very things (the messengers) draw us and even challenge us to open our hearts to the fullest. Whereby we encounter God and the wonder of the life in Him that He offers.
I find those words to be true and it was in a moment that I wish “had never begun” that this song was born. Sometimes moments of affliction are thrust upon us and other times the affliction results from our own choices and decisions. During one of the darkest and most painful times of my life I found myself questioning the nearness of God. Not in rejection or denial; but I just could not find Him through the pain, darkness and tears. Adding to the frustration, much of the distance between God and I was the result of my own choices and actions.
During this season of affliction, I continually pondered the reality of God’s true nature: faithful, loving, just, kind, unchanging, good, merciful, patient and longsuffering. Although I did not readily feel these truths working in my circumstances I knew that they were indeed truth. So I clung to them and I wrestled to embrace God and all that He is. Following a season of repentance, forgiveness and struggle, the healing began to flow and the darkness eventually lifted. I can remember that my prayers were filled with gratitude and thanks to God for not abandoning me. I had been shaken to the core and the end result was that God remained.
The writing of this song truly helped to synthesize my journey at that time and I was able to write most of the verses and the beginning of the chorus. Then I put the unfinished song down for a season. Several years later, I went through my song notebook and pulled out what I had written. The song title You Remain stared back at me and I was immediately filled with wonder and gratitude for how God faithfully walked me through that dark season. The Lord continued to tug on me to go back and finish the song. So with the help of my wife, Kelly, we completed the chorus and refined the verses.
I know that my personal encounter of struggle and affliction in this life is not unique to me. The wild mystery of how God allows us to walk down certain paths in order to encounter Him more fully still baffles me. Thus, it is my prayer that this song encourages those on the journey and that it illuminates the truth that God will never leave us.
“No matter what the winds of change may bring… this I know…. You remain!”